Rhetorical Anaylisis on "Letter from Birmingham"

Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the greatest civil rights activists this nation has ever seen. The ability he had to seize an opportune moment in time was phenomenal. A true example of this ability was a time he had been jailed for not having the proper permits during a civil rights parade in Birmingham, Alabama. While he was in jail, eight clergymen criticized him, calling his activities “unwise and untimely” (112). He responded to their criticism with amazing rhetoric, grasping at their hearts and minds with syntax, diction, examples, and allusions in his now famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” Dr. King established ethos effectively in regards to his letter. In the beginning of the letter, he clearly states his equal authority by saying, “My Dear Fellow Clergymen” (112). This makes him equal in eyes of his peers and establishes creditability. King’s reference to the clergymen creates an immediate relationship exposing the bonds that people of similar character share. Further, he compares himself to the Apostle Paul when he states, “like Paul I must respond to the Macedonian call for aid” (113). This comparison gives Reverend King creditability since he is writing to men of pious belief and gives religious grounds for the injustice being done which requires his aid. These injustices are acts of segregation, unfair treatment, and degrading the human personality of blacks. Dr. King can relate to these injustices and has moral ground and strong creditability to act against these injustices. He makes this apparent by quoting Saint Augustine: “That an unjust law is no law at all” (116). As seen, he has established ethos with the clergy on a religious and educated level. He also displays ethos with the African American community because of his own personal experience, being a black man. King’s ethos is extremely charismatic in hopes that his letter will explain his passion for equal rights. Dr. Martin Luther King’s...

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Rhetorical Analysis of LetterfromBirmingham Jail
In the spring 1963, Martin Luther King was jailed due to his non-violent demonstrations against racial segregation at Birmingham. Eight of Alabama’s top white religious leaders criticized his action as “unwise and untimely,” and called him an “outsider.” Martin Luther King responded with his own article, “LetterfromBirmingham Jail.” He explained his reasons in Birmingham, and necessities of taking nonviolent direct action in Birmingham. He also persuaded the audiences to get involved with the African-American civil rights movement. Throughout this letter, there are many smart and clever uses of logical appeals (King).
Opponents called King “outsider,” because King, who held this demonstration, was originally from Atlanta. King indicated that he was not an outsider. He established his authority that he had the honor of serving as President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. He came to Birmingham because he was on the call from affiliates in Alabama to engage in a non-violent direct action. To be more specific, King explained another reason that he was in Birmingham. He argued:” I am here because injustice was here.”
Birmingham is probably the most thoroughly segregated city in the...

...Analysis: LetterfromBirmingham Jail
S- To state the reason Martin Luther King Jr. is in Birmingham for attempting to change segregation as social justice and his use of civil disobedience as an instrument of freedom.
O- King was incarcerated for expressing his rights as a US citizen and now writes a letter to explain the injustice
A- The Alabama Clergymen and U.S. Citizens
P- To announce that without forceful direct action, equal rights and true civil rights may never be achieved
S- Martin Luther King Jr.
Tone: King kept a patient tone throughout this letter as well as an understanding of the views of the clergymen. He found common ground throughout the essay mentioning previous points they made and politely arguing with them as well as responding with a counter argument that may make.
6) What kind of ethos does MLK establish within this essay?
MLK King conveys his message by appealing to ethos. King does this many times throughout the letter. King writes that he follows just laws yet he breaks unjust laws. He relates breaking unjust laws with what the early Christians did. "Of course, there is nothing new about this kind of civil disobedience...early Christians who were willing to face hungry lions...rather than submit to certain unjust laws of the Roman Empire." King attempts to elucidate that early Christians broke laws that they felt were unjust. Because he...

...Martin Luther King’s inspiration for writing his, “LetterfromBirmingham Jail” was mainly to appeal to an undeniable injustice that occurred during his time. His letter was in response tos eight white clergymen, who objected to King protesting in Birmingham. Dr. King effectively crafted his counterargument after analyzing the clergymen’s unjust proposals and then he was able to present his rebuttal. Dr. King effectively formed his counterargument by first directly addressing his audience, the clergymen and then using logos, pathos and egos to present his own perspective on his opponent’s statements.
The majority of the sentences in King’s letter can be connected to logos, pathos or ethos and his incorporation of appeals is masterful. On more than one occasion, King uses various strategies to appeal to his audience, in the letter he writes, “I have the honor of serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization operating in every southern state, with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. We have some eighty-five affiliated organizations across the South, and one of them is the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights.” In this excerpt, King presents his ethos very tactically. The Alabama clergy presents him as an outsider in the letter, but demonstrating his ethos, King presents himself as an insider. He is not just a man who...

...Freedom is deserved by all colour, age, ethnicity, orientation, gender should not be a restraint. Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. felt this way during his life in the times of segregation. He peacefully protested his thoughts and was arrested for it. Then his acts were judged by a group of white clergymen. They questioned the Negroes' choice to break the law rather than wait for change in a letter they wrote to a local news editor. In response to this judgement Doctor King Jr. wrote his "LetterFrom a Birmingham Jail". He was able to utilize several different rhetorical strategies in order to explain why they can no longer wait, create a poignant diction, and to persuade others to see the reality of segregation.
Being a pastor and a well known civil rights activist during the time of segregation puts that much more force, that much more of a yreality behind Doctor King Jr's words. By far, the easiest and one of the most compelling forces within "A LetterFrom a Birmingham Jail" is the imagery created by Doctor King Jr.
Doctor King Jr. goes on to list seeing "...vicious mobs lynch... mothers and fathers... drown your sisters and brothers... hate-filled policemen curse, kick, and even kill..." Then mentions having to explain to his six year old daughter that she cannot go to the new amusement park simply because it is "...closed to colored...

...Summary and Rhetorical Analysis of “LetterfromBirmingham Jail”
Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested on April 12, 1963, in Birmingham, for protesting without a permit. The same day that King was arrested, a letter was written and signed by eight clergymen fromBirmingham and titled “A Call for Unity”. The letter called for ending demonstrations and civil activities and indicated King as an “outsider”. On April 16, 1963, King responded to their letter with his own call, which has come to be known as his “LetterfromBirmingham Jail.” King justified the nonviolent measures that sent him to jail and explained why the segregation laws against blacks in the south must be changed (356-371). At the beginning of this letter, King gives us the reason why he was in Birmingham. Not only was he invited there as president of the SCLC to launch and support the protests but also because injustice was in Birmingham. It was probably the most thoroughly segregated city (356). Then, King continues to refute that he was an "outsides" since they are all American and they are all “carry the gospel of freedom”(357). For instance, King tells of the failure in negotiation with the government. He describes the serious injustice facts among the black people to prove...

...Using the Rhetorical Triangle
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., uses the various forms of the rhetorical triangle logos, ethos, and pathos, in “LetterFromBirmingham Jail”. “ In considering the role that ethos plays in the rhetorical analyses, you need to pay attention to the details, right down to the choice of words or, in a visual argument, the shapes and colors” (Lunsford & Ruszkiewicz 106). Logos is explained, “ In analyzing most arguments, you’ll have to decide whether an argument makes a plausible claim and offers good reasons for you to believe it” (Lunsford & Ruszkiewicz 107). Finally, there is Pathos, “ Emotional appeals (sometimes called appeals to pathos) are powerful tools for influencing what people think and believe. We all make decisions-even important ones-based on our feelings” (Lunsford & Ruszkiewicz 38). In examining King’s letter, the area where he uses pathos, logos, and ethos, will become evident along with his point of view of the unjust treatment in Birmingham.
In “LetterfromBirmingham Jail” King is addressing his fellow clergymen and the “white moderate”. There was a misunderstanding of what his reasoning behind his involvement in the demonstrations were. “King was asked by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to assist in the fight for civil rights in...

...Phillips
10:45-12:10 TR
King Paper
LetterfromBirmingham Jail
Martin Luther King Jr. wrote one of his most famous works while confined in a jail cell. He wrote this as a response to a statement written about him by eight Alabama clergymen. In the letter King uses many methods to convey his message about things going on in Alabama. King mainly uses logos, pathos, and ethos to express his point in “LetterfromBirmingham Jail.”
In the letter King utilized the power of human emotion to explain to the clergymen the importance of his being in Birmingham for the demonstrations. Early in the letter King stated “We were the victims of a broken promise”, quickly getting the clergymen to be empathetic to his disappointment. He explained how he had tried to negotiate without having to come to the demonstrations, but the businessmen had backed out of their agreement and surely the clergy must relate to his frustration about the broken promises. King continued, speaking more directly, when he said “In spite of my shattered dreams, I came to Birmingham with hopes that the white religious leadership of this community would see the justice of our cause and, with deep moral concern, would serve as the channel through which our just grievances could reach the power structure.” Here he aimed directly at the clergymen targeting their...

...LetterfromBirmingham Jail: Analysis 2
On April 12, 1963 King was arrested for breaking an Alabama injunction against demonstrations in
Birmingham. He was placed in solitary confinement and on April 16th he read a letterfrom Alabama clergymen
published in the New York Times in which they criticized King and the Birmingham Movement for inciting civil
disturbances. King wrote his response along the margin of the paper. The following version has been edited .
Directions: Be an active reader by underlining key phrases and writing comments or questions
in the margin. Answer the questions in italics on a separate sheet of paper.
16 April 1963
My Dear Fellow Clergymen:
While confined here in the Birmingham city jail, I came across your recent statement calling my
present activities "unwise and untimely." Seldom do I pause to answer criticism of my work and ideas. If I
sought to answer all the criticisms that cross my desk, my secretaries would have little time for anything
other than such correspondence in the course of the day, and I would have no time for constructive work.
But since I feel that you are men of genuine good will and that your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I want
to try to answer your statement in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms.
I think I should indicate why I am here in Birmingham, since you have been influenced...